How to Clean an Induction Cooktop
Induction cooktops are a truly revolutionary type of cooktop that have made cooking much faster and easier. Forget about waiting 10 minutes for a liter of water to boil, because these things can bring a full gallon to a boil in a couple minutes or less.
There’s also the fact that induction cooktops are about as energy efficient as possible, which helps you save money in both the long and short term. Now, just like all other cooktops, induction cooktops will eventually need to be cleaned. How you clean an induction cooktop is what we are here to discuss.
Checkout our honest Nuwave Induction Cooktop Review here
Table could not be displayed.Cleaning an Induction Cooktop
Many people find that cleaning an induction cooktop is much easier than other types of stoves, mainly because only the pot or pan gets heated up, with the rest of the cooktop staying cool, thus preventing too much food and liquid from burning and getting stuck on. This is a big benefit.
However, on the other hand, induction cooktops are made with a glass ceramic surface. This surface is not resistant to abrasion and can very easily be scratched. Therefore, when you go to clean an induction cooktop, you do need to be very careful, and this means using the right cleaning liquids and the right materials.
Use the wrong liquid or a harsh scrubber and you will end up scratching the life right out of that beautiful induction cooktop. Let’s talk about how to clean that induction cooktop to get it looking like brand new, all without causing any damage to it.
Things to Avoid Using on an Induction Cooktop
There are a number of things that should never be used to clean an induction cooktop. Below is a list of items that should never go anywhere near an induction cooktop, or else you will irreparably damage it.
- Coarse sponges
- Steel wool
- Abrasive cloth
- Anything sharp
- Any chlorine based cleaner
- Flammable materials/liquids
Basic Cleaning of Induction Cooktop
If you are just tidying up and cleaning up a bit of spilled water and food, you should have no problems getting that induction cooktop to sparkle. Let’s go over a quick step-by-step tutorial on how to clean an induction cooktop the easy way.
- Wait for the induction cooktop to cool down completely. Although the surface does not get overly hot, it will still get hot enough to burn you upon direct contact.
- Use a non-abrasive cloth or sponge, something very soft that won’t scratch your induction cooktop. Wet the sponge or cloth with some warm water and gently wipe down the cooktop.
- Try to always wipe off food and liquid before it hardens, as it will be much harder to clean off once hard. This might take a couple minutes to remove all debris, as you just cannot use anything coarse, but taking a few minutes more to clean an induction cooktop is worth it if you don’t end up damaging it.
- Once the food and liquid residue has been removed, use a wet paper towel to wipe away any remaining particles.
- Now you can use a special glass or ceramic cooktop cleaner and rub it around using a paper towel. Follow this up by using a dry cloth or dry paper towel to remove the cooktop cleaner.
Heavy Cleaning of an Induction Cooktop
If there is food stuck on the induction cooktop or there is hard water residue caked on the surface, you will need to take some additional steps. Remember that even though food is stuck on, you cannot use anything coarse or abrasive for these sensitive ceramic cooktops.
Use hot water and vinegar, combined with a non-abrasive towel or sponge, to wipe off as much residue as you can without scrubbing. You can cover the cooktop with a good amount of hot water and vinegar, and let it soak for a couple of minutes, and then wipe it off again. This will help get rid of any easy-to-remove residue.
Now, for the really stuck-on food residue, use that specialized cooktop cleaner in combination with a special ceramic or glass cooktop cleaning pad. These are pads specially designed to remove stuck-on foods, hard water deposits, grease, and other forms of residue, all without causing damage to the induction cooktop’s sensitive surface.
Although it may take a while to fully remove stuck on food and residue, even with the specialized pad, don’t apply too much pressure, because even this can still cause damage.
Once all stuck on food has been loosened, you can then use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe everything away. Follow this up with a second round of wiping with a wet cloth or paper towel, and then finish it off by wiping it dry with a dry cloth.
Conclusion
When all has been said and done, cleaning an induction cooktop is not rocket science. Yes, these things come with some major benefits — induction cooktops heat up fast and they can bring anything to a boil in record time, not to mention that they are very energy-efficient.
All that said, they are not the easiest to clean, at least not without damaging them. However, with some good ceramic stovetop cleaner, a specialized cleaning pad, some water, and a bit of patience, it is doable. Just be patient!
